The Weekly Magazine, or Edinburgh Amusement, an eighteenth-century Edinburgh periodical published by Walter Ruddiman, was Fergusson’s poetic home. Between early 1771 and late 1773, Fergusson’s work was a fixture of the magazine’s poetry section. His debut appearance in the Weekly Magazine - on 7 February 1771 - was the first of a trio of poems entitled ‘Pastoral I: Morning’, ‘Pastoral II: Noon’ and ‘Pastoral III: Night’, traditional English language pastoral poems. Although he is known for his writing in the Scots language, Fergusson wrote in both English and Scots throughout his career. In 1773, Fergusson published just under a poem per week in the Weekly Magazine, making him its house poet. One Magazine contributor refers to him as ‘the Laureat of our City’.

After two years of regular publication in The Weekly Magazine, Fergusson collected his works into a volume, entitled Poems, in 1773. This collection, which features poems in English and Scots, was printed by Fergusson’s great friend and supporter, Walter Ruddiman, a prestigious Edinburgh publisher who was also responsible for The Weekly Magazine. This particular copy of Poems is unusual in that one of its owners has ‘coloured in’ the frontispiece with watercolours to prettify the engraved scene, from Fergusson’s poem, ‘The Rivers of Scotland, An Ode’.

This edition, printed in 1789, some fifteen years after Fergusson’s death, was produced by prestigious Perth publisher Robert Morison. A handful of Fergusson’s works had previously appeared in Morison’s Perth Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure. This edition, with its handsome engravings depicting scenes from the poems, shows that Fergusson’s fame only increased after his tragic, early death, and there was a real public appetite for new editions of his works.

This set belonged to Alexander Gardyne, who made “an extensive and valuable contribution to the Poets’ corner; and a number of interesting and rare books in other departments of literature. This addition, it is believed, will render The Mitchell Library Collection of Scottish Poetry and Drama by far the most extensive in existence; thus affording opportunities not available elsewhere for the study of this distinctive and characteristic department of the national literature.”
Mitchell Library Donation Book, donation number 1028